Category: Smithwick

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Rattlesnake Bite Victim

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Cec allowed an old fellow from Marble Falls to establish a wrecking yard on a little patch of ground on our property. Old Man Hugh Hampton was as nice of a fellow as I ever met, and a very hard worker. He was honest as the day was long. (Whatever that saying is suppose to mean) Hugh had a fellow working for him up in the junk yard pulling usable parts off of cars. It was in the summertime, because Kenny and I were both at the house. I’m betting we had stopped by to grab a bite to eat. … Continue reading The Rattlesnake Bite Victim

Cecil Lewis, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Four Wrecks All Happened Within Minutes

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It was the Friday afternoon of opening weekend of deer season, in 1968. The calamities started when Kenny, in a Ford Falcon, pulled out from the Gulf Station in Marble Falls. He and his squeeze at the time, Karen, were going to head northbound. I think Kenny was paying more attention to the redhead sitting next to him than he was to the heavy traffic, as he got t-boned by a Houston attorney that was up to go hunting. The attorneys car was a brand new Oldmobile 98 with 250 miles on it. No one was hurt seriously, but both … Continue reading Four Wrecks All Happened Within Minutes

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Wooden Pallets

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After graduation several of us gathered at the Scott Place down at Doublehorn. Winfield had been out of high school for a year and was home after finishing his first year at LSU. His folks were away, so it was an ideal place for a party. Knowing I had stuff to do the next day I had the presence of mind to leave the party before daylight and head to Smithwick. I was scheduled to go to San Antonio and pick up a load. I was over on the Eastside of San Antonio by mid morning sitting at a huge … Continue reading The Wooden Pallets

Cecil Lewis, SmithwickLeave a comment

Cec And The Spare Tire Rack

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Back in 1968 Cec bought a new 1/2 Ford Pickup down at Truck City Ford on Ben White Blvd in Austin. Back in those days pickups hardly ever came with a rear bumper from the factory. They were all installed by the dealer and most of the time in this area they were supplied by D&D Bumper in Seguin, Tx. The dealership name would be imprinted in it, so when you bought a bumper you paid for the privilege of advertising where you bought your truck everywhere you went. There was a brand new thing that he couldn’t do without. … Continue reading Cec And The Spare Tire Rack

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Head-Plant In The Mud

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I was about 17 years old. Lake Travis was really low like it is now. We had a bulldozer and a Cat 12 Motorgrader down along the bottom land, cleaning up and leveling out so when the lake came back up it would……….,,,,,..no we knew it wouldn’t stay smooth but Cec had a good idea. Something to keep me busy. My helper was, David Jordan, my one day in the future brother in law. If I remember correctly it was a fairly uneventful day, that is until I started out on top with motorgrader. Just when I got to the … Continue reading Head-Plant In The Mud

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Cec’s Pry Bar

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One More Today From Kenny Lewis Ronnie and I had our share of mishaps growing up and for that reason, were known by the men of the community as being rather reckless. Among those men was one of Dad’s closest friends, Brown Parker. He always said that “Cec could have been a millionaire had he knocked the two of us in the head when we were pups”. Daddy owned a pry bar that had previously been a truck axle. It was at least six feet long and 1 ½” in diameter. Brown always swore that it was the only thing … Continue reading Cec’s Pry Bar

Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Charlie and Minnie Campbell – A Love Story

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This is a story about an old couple that showed up in Smithwick when I was just a kid. This story doesn’t involve actual family members. It does include the Smithwick Cemetery and a couple that were a part of the community for a few years. One day Minnie and Charlie arrived in an old Studebaker car. When people said their name, they always left off the p and b. It was Charlie and Minnie Camel. They never had children. They claimed they had no other close family. They just had each other. Minnie was from Oklahoma. She always said … Continue reading Charlie and Minnie Campbell – A Love Story

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Opening Day Of Deer Season

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I was probably no older than 13, but maybe 14. At least old enough to drive myself down in the pasture to kill a deer. We had company in from California. My mother’s youngest sister and her husband. Knowing I’d have better luck if I went across the fence that bordered us to the west. That was LCRA Property. There was no hunting allowed on the LCRA. To young boys, especially sons of Cecil Lewis, there were certain rules that we didn’t abide by. Especially that one. Either those same deer had just left our property or would be crossing … Continue reading Opening Day Of Deer Season

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early Days3 Comments

The Race Was On

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The story of one of the greatest car races ever held in Smithwick. His name was Curtis “Brown” Parker. Brown Parker was how he was known. He was the person my Dad looked up to more, maybe than anyone else. Brown was several years older that Cecil Lewis. I believe that Brown help him become a man in more ways than one in his early days in Smithwick, Texas. In the 1940s Brown and Eula left Smithwick and moved to California, the same as a lot of people did during that period of time. They operated laundries in and around … Continue reading The Race Was On